TILDEN AND BREEZY: THE FINAL WEEKS OF WINTER

Leader: Ryan Goldberg

Focus: Enjoy the last weeks of winter on the western Rockaway Peninsula as sea ducks, loons, alcids, and other waterfowl begin staging to return north. We’ll canvas the Atlantic coast from Fort Tilden to Breezy Point, a long but exciting walk on the beach that takes in some of the city’s best dune habitat and protected shoreline, and where we could also turn up open-ground specialists like snow buntings and horned larks and shorebirds such as dunlin, sanderling, and purple sandpipers.

Registar: Ryan Goldberg, ryan.goldberg@gmail.com

Registration Period: Feb. 18-23

Itinerary: Meet at 8 a.m. at the white chapel at Ft. Tilden on Heinzelman Rd., where there is a parking lot for those who wish to drive. Carpooling is encouraged (but the club will not be arranging carpools.) Fort Tilden is accessible by the Q35 bus, which stops in front of Target on Ave H and drops you off at Beach 169th Street, a two-minute walk from the chapel. You should aim for the 7:35 bus.

Participant limit is 12. Current club members will receive priority over non-members.

Notes: Bring a scope, lunch, snacks, water, etc., and be prepared for the wind and cold. We’ll be walking 6-8 miles, most of it on sand — but we’ll take our time.